He added: “People must be held to account for their actions. Prosecutions must follow.”

Sir Bernard Ingham has refused to apologise for his comments about the disaster (Image: Jim Bennett)

And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “It is time that those who peddled those vile and malicious lies recognise the deep hurt they have inflicted on tens of thousands of innocent people - and are held to account.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has a team of more than 200 staff investigating the police cover-up.

It is understood the inquiry has been given access to minutes of cabinet meetings chaired by the Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher.

Rachel Cerfontyne, Deputy Chair of the IPCC, said: “We are looking at: Were there controlling minds?

"If there were controlling minds, who were those controlling minds? Was there collusion amongst controlling minds?

Jeremy Corbyn has called for those responsible to be held to account (Image: PA)

“If officers had their statements changed, what role did they play in that? Were they aware of that? Who was instructing that?”

She added: “You would expect if we are going to be looking at if there was a cover-up, we are going to be asking questions about what people did, why they did it, whether there was collusion, whether people did things because they were just trying to help their mates, or whether they were doing it because they were under duress, all those kind of questions are the questions we are asking.”

“Clearly whether any group, including Masons, but any any other group, played a role in terms of the decisions that people made and who they were able to influence, is a key line of enquiry for us, and so the Masons is one of those” she said.

Sir Bernard had previously said he and Mrs Thatcher were briefed by South Yorkshire Police officers the day after the disaster that a “tanked up mob” of fans outside the ground were to blame.

There has been speculation previously that Mrs Thatcher was grateful to South Yorkshire Police for their efforts during the 1984-85 miners’ strike.

Scenes at Hillsborough as people desperately tried to escape (Image: Mirrorpix)

The county saw some of the worst violence of the dispute - most most notably at British Steel’s coking plant at Orgreave in June 1984, when about 10,000 striking miners went head-to-head with 5,000 police.

The clashes saw 51 pickets and 72 police officers injured.

And Mrs Thatcher did voice concern that a 1989 report into Hillsborough constituted a “devastating criticism” of police.

The comment came in a handwritten note in the margin of a civil servant’s memo informing her that the Home Secretary planned to welcome the broad thrust of Lord Taylor’s interim report on its publication in August 1989.

She wrote: “What do we mean by ‘welcoming the broad thrust of the report’? The broad thrust is devastating criticism of the police. Is that for us to welcome? Surely we welcome the thoroughness of the report and its recommendations – M.T.”

David Duckenfield has not yet commented on the verdict (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

The potential offences being investigated by the IPCC are:

Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Perverting the course of justice

Perjury

Misconduct in a public office

In addition to the IPCC investigation, a team from ‘Operation Resolve’ are probing allegations of gross negligence manslaughter, misconduct in a public office, perverting the course of justice and health and safety offences.

Both bodies have interviewed a number of people under caution.

The investigations are running in tandem and are expected to deliver their findings to the Crown Prosecution Service by the end of the year.

It is expected the CPS will then take between three and six months to decide if charges should be brought.

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Sixteen years ago a jury failed to reach a verdict on two specimen manslaughter charges, brought in a private prosecution against Mr Duckenfield.

The judge, Sir Anthony Hooper, who told the match day commander he would not send him to prison, whatever the verdict, ordered proceedings against him to be “stayed” after ruling out a retrial.

And the CPS would have to ask Sir Anthony to lift the “stay” before any new prosecution against the officer could proceed.

Mr Duckenfield was not at his immaculate bungalow in a posh Dorset village near Bournemouth.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “He hasn’t been around for a couple of days. I think they may well in Portugal.”

The inquest jurors were told they could only reach the unlawful killing verdict if they were sure of four “essential” matters concerning the deaths at Hillsborough.

They had to be convinced that Mr Duckenfield owed a duty of care to those who died in the disaster and that he was in breach of that duty of care.

Thirdly, they would need to be satisfied that his breach of duty caused the deaths and, fourthly, that it amounted to “gross negligence”.

They concluded it was unlawful killing by a 7-2 majority.

The 1991 accidental deaths verdicts from the original inquests were quashed in 2012 after the Hillsborough Independent Panel found a major cover-up had taken place in an effort by police and others to avoid the blame for what happened.

Andy Burnham after hearing the conclusions of the Hillsborough inquest (Image: Getty)

After the verdicts the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police admitted the force got the policing of the match “catastrophically wrong”.

David Crompton said relatives of those who died had been failed, and that officers “will now take time to carefully reflect on the implications of the verdicts”.

He said: “I want to make it absolutely clear that we unequivocally accept the verdict of unlawful killing and the wider findings reached by the jury in the Hillsborough Inquests.

“On 15th April 1989, South Yorkshire Police got the policing of the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough catastrophically wrong.

"It was and still is the biggest disaster in British sporting history.

"That day 96 people died and the lives of many others were changed forever. The force failed the victims and failed their families.

“Today, as I have said before, I want to apologise unreservedly to the families and all those affected.”